VOLUME 57 ISSUE 3 JANUARY 21, 2020 P71
towards the front when he couldn't.
"To be the only American to accomplish
this goal is amazing," Brabec said after the
rally, as he held aloft the bronze Tuareg
trophy reserved for the winner. "It's really a
dream come true. Now we've got to set our
goals higher and accomplish more. We are
going to come back next year and try and
repeat this, but it's not easy. It was a big,
tough race. A lot of kilometers. The team
worked great together."
R
icky Brabec made history as the first
American rider to win the world's
most prestigious off-road race.
In winning the Dakar Rally, Californian
Brabec righted the wrong of 2019, where
he retired from leading the race due to
engine trouble with only two stages left to
run. This year, the HRC factory motor in
his Honda CRF450 Rally never skipped a
beat, and he played the smart game, win-
ning where he could but crucially staying
BRABEC
MAKES HISTORY
THE DROUGHT HAS FINALLY ENDED FOR AMERICAN RIDERS AS
THE MONSTER ENERGY HONDA TEAM'S RICKY BRABEC STORMED TO
A MAIDEN VICTORY IN THE FIRST SAUDI ARABIAN DAKAR RALLY
(Above) It's
been five years
coming, but Ricky
Brabec has finally
captured his and
America's first-ever
Dakar Rally victory.
(Right) Pablo
Quintanilla made
up for last year's
disappointment
with second in the
2020 Dakar.
BY RENNIE SCAYSBROOK I PHOTOGRAPHY BY RALLYZONE
